The Times from Munster, Indiana • 13

.1. i.iUM.n TiiTlMES Church Family 14-15 16-17 13 Friday, February 10, 1978 Illinois Diverts Crosstown Cash To 159th Street aE.iJSbsfc JfiyilP tMA CALUMET CITY A $4.5 million project to rebuild 159th Street from Torrence Avenue to the Calumet Expressway will begin late in 1979. Rep. Frank Giglio, D-Calumet City, presented to the city council Thursday the preliminary plans for the project which include large-scale alterations to 159th Street. Giglio, a member of the Illinois House Transportation Committee, said the $4.5 for the project was appropriated in the 1979 fiscal year budget for the Illinois Department of Transportation.

Giglio said the federal funds from the Crosstown Expressway fund were allocated for the roadwork. Giglio said the project should be completed Vk years after work begins. The two most outstanding aspects of the project will be the depression of 159th Street under the Penn Central Railroad tracks, near Greenwood Road, and the relocation of Frontage Road, near Denny's Restaurant at 159th and the Calumet Expressway. According the preliminary drawings, the entrance of Frontage Road onto 159th Street will be moved about 150 feet east and a traffic signal will be installed at the intersection, directly across from the Union 76 Truckstop. Giglio said the purpose of the street relocation end light installment is to alleviate heavy congestion caused by semi-trucks attempting to enter 159th Street eastbound and move immediately to the inside lane to go to the truckstop.

The traffic signal will provide for a "straight shot" for truck drivers from Frontage Road into the truck stop. The depression of 159th Street under the railroad tracks could be the most costly and time-consuming aspect of the project. Without closing the rail line down, the area beneath the tracks will dug out, the tracks shored up and the underpass built. Greenwood Road, where it forms a T-intersection at 159th, near the Penn Central tracks, will be "cut off" and run parallel to 159th to the intersection of Paxton Avenue and 159th. The Greenwood-159th intersection had to be eliminated because of the planned underpass at the tracks.

Construetion.creus begin digging a path to relieve traffic congestion to Inland Steel in East Chicago Inland Traffic Jam Brought Results Lake County Courts In Legislative Limbo statement explained steps taken to improve traffic problems. This week's edition of the Inland Steelmaker the plant newspaper which appeared today contains a detailed map of all access routes to the plant, along with an explanation of Inland's intentions. Construction has begun on a series of road improvements aimed at solving traffic problems near the mill. Inland has contracted for road-widening projects on Commonwealth that will allow two lanes of traffic to flow eastward from the Inland Overpass to Cline Avenue. Crews from Northern Indiana Public Service Co.

have begun relocating electrical poles, and a Police Chief Stephan Stiglich said a committee is being formed at the mayor's request to meet with the Indiana State Highway Commission. Stiglich said police have agreed to' operate manual traffic control switches at the corner of Michigan and Guthrie during peak traffic periods. "Cool heads prevailed," Stiglich said in describing the meeting. "There aren't any easy, iron-clad solutions to the traffic problem, but we've established a common ground, and we think we can work it out together." Inland representatives passed out statement to all construction personnel entering the plant today. The By DANIEL ROSENHEIM Times Staff Writer EAST CHICAGO Last week's protest by outside contract workers at Inland Steel has brought prompt action.

The workers protested general traffic conditions by abandoning cars and trucks on roadways into the plant, creating a massive traffic jam. Company officials this week met twice with East Chicago city officials and leaders of the building crafts unions which represent the contract workers. At a meeting Thursday, attended by East Chicago Mayor Robert Pastrick, representatives from all three parties agreed on a series of steps aimed at improving traffic conditions. Channel 50 Cuts Local Programs By THOMAS INKLE Times Staff Writer INDIANAPOLIS A bill to extend the life of city courts in Lake County is in limbo in the Senate. The bill H.B.

1075 hasn't been assigned to a committee by Senate President Pro Tern Robert Fair, D-Princeton. Fair said Thursday he will make a decision on assigning the measure next week after he receives some feedback from Lake County lawmakers during a four-day break this weekend. The bill as drafted by Rep. Jerome Reppa, R-Munster, would give the option to cities and towns statewide to extend city and town courts. Under existing law all courts except three are scheduled to go out of business at the end of 1979.

The three courts exempted are in Hammond, Gary and East Chicago. City courts were replaced when the general assembly adopted a court reform legislative package. The city and town courts were replaced by county small claims courts. Lake County has three of these new county courts. Fair simply doesn't like the proposed bill extending all city and local slots.

The cutback idea originated several weeks ago, shortly after Nelson joined the staff. "Nelson presented us with two plans," Tara Missal, WCAE public relations representative, said. "He said we could continue to spend the way we were and possibly not have enough money for the year or we could put the money into maintenance." A spokesman said Channel 50's production equipment is obsolete, overused and in need of repair. The transmitter tower in north Hammond is considered the station's major problem, spokesmen said. The' transmitter was under-financed originally and has been under-maintained due to a lack of funds, a spokesman said.

The station logged 38 hours of off-air time in December because of transmitter problems. Station representatives said Channel 50's current level of income contractor is relocating the Field School fence to make way for the Commonwealth widening. When weather permits, water and sewer line work, grading and paving to be completed, Commonwealth will expand to three and four lanes, with two lanes reserved for eastbound traffic. On Michigan, the city has changed southbound traffic sequences at Block Avenue and Grand Boulevard to show yellow flashing lights for rush-hour traffic, in addition to the manual signal controls at Guthrie. Inland says it will shift personnel schedules in its Watling Street office complex to an 8:30 a.m.

to 5:30 p.m. schedule, starting Monday. cannot support growth in services or the necessary maintenance. Mrs. Missal said all but one or two parttime employees were let go.

No fulltime employees have been or will be fired, she said. Viewers have already noticed the effects of the cutback. "We have received a lot of letters," Mrs. Missal said. "The people miss the news program the most because it is the only local newscast.

Public Broadcasting, by its noncommercial nature, is faced with bigger financial obstacles than other networks. Channel 50 is confronted with competition from Channel 11, another PBS station. Nelson plans to increase maintenance and turn Channel 50 into a full-color operation. A capital development campaign with a goal of $500,000 is planned for the next three years. About $200,000 has been pledged by the U.S.

Department of Health, Education and Welfare. i pleasure in my work. It's wonderful to look on the bright side. Today, my life is easier, calmer, much more peaceful because in any type of turmoil, God has come through for me. It has been proven undeniably to me time and time again, and I thank God that he has chosen to enlighten me in this way.

Charmian Mott, wife of Keith Mott, 8706 Madison, Munster, attends St. Luke's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Munster. She is the church's financial secretary and Sunday school superintendent. WWfr -iif ffrlfrr Faith Brings Patience town courts indefinitely. He said there isn't a statewide problem making it necessary to extend all city and town courts.

Fair said the only county of Indiana's 92 counties where the small claims courts haven't been able to handle the workload previously handled by the city and town courts is in Lake County. He told The Times depending on the feedback from Lake County over the weekend, he would be willing to extend the life of city courts in Lake County only for four years. The courts in Lake County scheduled to go out of business are Whiting, Hobart, Crown Point and Lake Station. Reppa said the Judicial Study. Commission acknowledged the problems of the county small claims courts being unable to handle the case load in Lake County.

Reppa is a member of that commission which investigates judicial problems and recommends solutions to the general assembly. Originally Reppa had planned to have the bill apply only to Lake County. The intersection will get a left turn lane to get as many trucks out of the main flow of traffic as possible. Traffic signals will be installed, Osnacz said. "Traffic signals at the present Van Dam Road might help, but the exit east from the expressway is so short that many drivers could miss it," Osnacz said.

"This improvement should eliminate many of the major problems with trucks crossing and cars coming off the expressway." Osnacz said the merger ramp north onto the Calumet from eastbound 159th Street will be lengthened. Improvements will also be made on the By SHARON ROSS Times Staff Writer ST. JOHN Maintenance and money problems are forcing Channel 50 to temporarily take the "local" out of its broadcasting. John Nelson, WCAE -television station manager, said growth in programming has far outpaced the station's growth in equipment and maintenance. That situation has forced the temporary cutback of local programming.

Station managers said they hope the cutback will permit WCAE personnel to "catch up in other areas of station responsibility." 159th street entrance to northbound Calumet Expressway. Although a direct entrance from the expressway to the truck stop would alleviate the problem in part, Osnacz said that proposed entrance is illegal. "The Calumet is part of the federal interstate road system, and the federal government does not allow a direct drive into a private business," he said. Included in the program is an -underpass at the Penn-Central Railroad crossing at Greenwood Road in Calumet City. Greenwood Avenue will be closed and Paxton Avenue will become a main arterial road.

"Once we cross the river, there will -J A The suspension which began Monday could last throughout the year. Local shows which have been temporarily cut. are the Channel 50. Evening News, Players of the Week, Community Focus, Sports Hotline and South Suburban Sports. The Lake Central School board meetings will continue to be broadcast.

Other local programs will continue as scheduled, ending in early March in most cases. Basketball tournaments for boys and girls will be broadcast. The Public Broadcasting Station schedule will be expanded to fill the be a slight rise and then a descent. At the entrance to The Park condominiums it will be about two feet below grade and continue down to 20 feet below at the center line of the Penn-Central tracks," Osnacz said. Raising the Conrail line would Cost more than the road improvement, he said.

"We'd have to start raising the track several miles before 159th street, and the tracks, by law, can only be raised to a certain point. It just wasn't worth it." The project has been budgeted for 1980. Contracts will be awarded in October or November, 1979, and work will start in the spring or summer of 1980. V-v Illinois will take responsibility for repairs to alleviate problems at the Union 76 Truch Stop crossing on 159th Street X- Way Entrance To Be Moved By CHARMIAN MOTT From a small child, I was brought up with some type of religion, and always taught to pray. The words were memorized and repeated over and over, without paying particular attention to their meaning.

When my children were old enough to ask questions about their religion, they spurred my thinking. When my father died, I could not understand why he should be taken What My Religion Means to Me from us at a relatively young age. I went to my minister and to the Bible. Many questions were answered by both sources. Others remained unanswered, but I also learned a key word faith and along with it, prayer in depth.

Not just those memorized words, but a real talking to God. I truly found peace of mind and to accept solely on faith much of what I couldn't understand. From a pessimist, I've become a true optimist because I believe that's what God expects of us. Things don't bother me as they used to. I truly believe if you put your life in God's hands, He is there to hear you, to listen and to work for your benefit.

My new-found true faith has given patience with my family, and By MARILYN KIJEWSKI Times Staff Writer SOUTH HOLLAND The Illinois Department of Transportation is planning a $4.4 million improvement at the Van Dam Road truck stop eptrance and 159th Street. Because of the hazard the Union 76 truck stop entrance poses to drivers trying to enter and exit the Calumet Expressway, the Van Dam Road entrance will be moved farther east, away from the expressway. Tony Osnacz of the Illinois Department of Transportation said the Van Dam entrances will be moved 200 feet east, as near to the Little Calumet River as possible..